September 29th, 2014 | Uncategorized
In the first game of the day we were facing off with the league favorite, Brunell basketball club. Although we scored first, they quickly took control of the game as our nerves got to us and made some costly mistakes. By the end of the first quarter though, we were right back in the game and at half time had tied it up.
In the second half, we came out focused and built a small lead by the end of the third quarter. Brunell thought they would be able to come back and beat the little-known Elks, until we went on a run with 4 minutes to go. The Lady Elks went on to win comfortably with a final score of 43-32.
No better way to start the day than with a big win! Unlike tournaments back home, there was no snack bar with overpriced pizza and Gatorades. Instead of making money off the hungry participants and spectators, the families of the host team prepared tables of sandwiches, bananas, and sweets that went perfectly with a cup of tea.
It was time for the second game against Carrig na bhFear. The message was the same, “Have fun. Get better. Play to win.” The girls did just that, and we went on to win 66-58. And for our final matchup in our group, we faced Tolka Rovers, a team we dominated last week in Dublin. This game was no different as we won 62-50, while resting our starters a wee bit before the semi-finals (where we would play the 2nd seed from the other group).
Matched up against the Limerick Celtics, featuring a girl from the Irish national team whom stood head and shoulders above our tallest player, we knew what we had to do and exactly what they wanted to do. We took care of business and had our largest margin of victory with the final score reading 52-36.
Now it was time to play on the full length court. The seats were rearranged and it was time to play our fifth game of the day! From the tap you knew that this game was going to be tough, but not because the opponent was superior. It was a fight against ourselves. We had already played 4 games with 8 minute quarters, totaling up to 128 minutes. Physically, we just didn’t have what it took to win the last game against a good Father Mathews team, as we fell 52-43. Overall though, it was an amazing experience for the girls, and they achieved the three objectives each time they taken to the court. At 9 pm, we left the Brunell gym in Cork with a great deal of respect that was not there when we walked in at 9am.
